I forgot about that first time transfer requirement. I was going to use a
friends address in Calaveras County to avoid having to buy illegal smogs,
but I would have had to have a passed test within 90 days of changing the
registered address of the car. I don't know where you are, but the larger
cities will have a lot more options for choosing a test station.
And you're right, mechanics and doctors are a lot alike when it comes to
finding one that you can trust. At least I was always capable of doing
virtually all the work on my vehicles, but it's kind of hard to work on
yourself 😉

~Holland
On Apr 1, 2016 10:49, "damac2004" <[email protected]> wrote:

> no smog is required except on vehicle transfer into this county.  so i
> guess the same 90 day window applies, the car i got passed about 5 months
> before i got it and had a long list of other passes in california.
>
> sadly i have been taken advantage of more than once by mechanics shops so
> i will have to do some research.  i have had the same problems with doctors
> it can be a sad selfish world.   im sure there is a good shop out there, i
> will just have to poke around i guess and travel more.  and maybe its
> better i go to a non repair station and insist on the pretest.
>
> On Friday, April 1, 2016 at 7:55:11 AM UTC-7, hollandphillips wrote:
>>
>> I'm confused. You just said you live in a small no smog county? I know
>> there used to be some counties in California that didn't require bi annual
>> smog tests, like Calaveras County. If you live in one of those counties,
>> why do you have to get a smog, or have the laws changed? And I think pre
>> testing is offered at the discretion of each smog station, or maybe it's
>> only offered by the test only stations. Since the test equipment is
>> connected directly to the DMV, the technician has to know how to run a pre
>> test without the results being automatically sent to the DMV. I used to
>> have to "buy" smogs for a couple of my vehicles because the were illegally
>> modified for performance purposes. Back in the '90's, it would cost me
>> about $50, but once they came out with the test equipment that's connected
>> to the DMV, most of the guys that would do that either got busted, or quit
>> doing it. The last time I had to get an illegal smog, back in 2012, it cost
>> me $250, and they had to use a "clean"  vehicle to run the test. It was all
>> very covert, and the guy was extremely paranoid and nervous about doing it.
>> This was in Santa Clara County.
>>
>> ~Holland
>> On Mar 31, 2016 11:21 PM, "damac2004" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> i could just tape the loom up where the wires are cut.  i have searched
>> vortex forums and it seems allot of people run without that plug sensor but
>> i can't find a definate on what the computer actually does.
>>
>> i don't know if its because im living in a no smog small county or what,
>> but i have had trouble already with the places in town.  i think i will
>> have to venture further away.  one told me i needed to get the check engine
>> light fixed because he couldn't find it and luckily he wouldn't even charge
>> me or start the test.  i told him what the book said and it being currently
>> smogged.  next place told me i need to pay for smog and if it fails they
>> will fix it and charge me nothing on a retest.  so they won't do a pre
>> test?  i specifically told them what i wanted to do and how im dealing with
>> this piece of crap.  i am guessing the shops can do what they want?  the
>> places in town don't even offer free retesting.
>>
>>
>> On Thursday, March 31, 2016 at 7:56:27 PM UTC-7, hollandphillips wrote:
>>
>> I've had concerns about the wires you found cut since you mentioned them.
>> In CA, on pre OBD cars, they look for hardware and check tail pipe. I had a
>> Euro intake on my car, and the port for the EYE valve wasn't machined, so I
>> just bolted the valve on and ran the wire back into the harness without
>> connecting it, and they never caught it. Those cut wires may be for the
>> reference sensor, and if the smog Nazis see them, they may fail you on that
>> alone. Plus, without a functioning reference sensor, I doubt the car will
>> run correctly, and that may be the reason your timing is jumping around.
>> Like I said before, at this point, I would find a smog station that offers
>> free retests and go for it. They will tell you what is not correct if it
>> fails.
>>
>> ~Holland
>> On Mar 31, 2016 19:27, "damac2004" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> holy cow i hope to have a success story soon but i am not quite there yet
>> for smog.  i went ahead and checked the codes and found i got an egr
>> error, igntion reference sender and knock sensor #1 bad wiring or sender.
>>
>> somebody told me i don't have a california ecu, does anybody know if all
>> ecu's would throw that egr even if on a non california car?  i don't think
>> i have to worry about it, just wondering.
>>
>> on the knock sensor both of mine are chipped up where the sensor bolts
>> in, one of them has no covering on the whole run of wire, just metal
>> strands.  just got a couple bosch new ones for cheap on ebay so will
>> install those.
>>
>> the last one for the igntion reference sender brings up an issue i didn't
>> know i had.  my car has no sensor on #4 wire and i found no connector in my
>> harness but there is a run of 3 wires that was cut off.  does anybody know
>> if this will effect how the computer runs things?  i have read it both ways
>> searching.  i never noticed a problem with the car before i touched it
>> except it was stinky and didn't get good mileage.  i don't even care about
>> this as long as i pass smog.
>>
>> if i read right i also believe a car can have a 2 degree deviation from
>> the stock timing specs so i think i might just take a chance with this car
>> and set it as best as i can, even though the timing light jumps around.  i
>> have talked with numerous people on each side of this issue as well.  some
>> said their marks wandered, some said they don't.  hate to throw money at
>> this car if i don't have to, but would enjoy making it right for the next
>> guy when i get rid of it :)
>>
>> On Thursday, March 24, 2016 at 5:52:49 PM UTC-7, hollandphillips wrote:
>>
>> Two knock sensors means 2.0/9A block.
>> On the timing issue, there is something that needs to be disconnected
>> prior to using a timing light. I can't remember what exactly it is, but I
>> think it's a vacuum line somewhere. Again, that information is in the
>> Bentley. Once the whatever is disconnected, the timing should be steady
>> when viewed with the timing light.
>> The timing advance on Motronic cars is controlled by the ECU, which is
>> why initial setting of the timing requires disconnecting whatever it is the
>> Bentley tells you. They do connect a timing sensor to the number one
>> cylinder spark plug lead when running an emissions test in California.
>> Don't know if it's just for reference to the machine, or if they can
>> actually fail you if it's out of spec.
>>
>> ~Holland
>> On Mar 24, 2016 17:04, "damac2004" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> ok so ground showed no continuity to that sensor wire.  it does with pin
>> 7 i believe on the ecu connector,  so i guess i am good.  i kept getting
>> confused because people were talking about an insulated wire and im
>> thinking a nasty cable like for tv.  when looking these guys over as is,
>> they don't seem special looking to me.
>>
>> also i looked over the car again and i do have 2 knock sensors.  they are
>> on the front of the block close to each, closer to cylinder #1.  they each
>> attach to a harness connector  that goes into the loom and
>>
>> ...
>
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